How Lumber Looks

A total of. 322 mills repoming to the West. Coast Lumberments Association for the wee& ended October I operated at 23.6 pet cent of capacity, as compared to 23.1 pet cent of capacity for the previous week and 31.4 per cent for the same week last year. During the week 2O5 of. these plants were reported as down and ll7 as operating.

217 rtlls for the week ended October 1 produced 5917151156 feet or 25 pet cent of their weekly apadty. Cument new business of these millo was 25.1 per cent over production and 31.4 'per cent of thcir weekly capacity. The previous weck production of these mills equalled 23.8 pet cent and sales 37 lter cent of their weekly capacity. Shipments for the week wer.e 35.4 Per cent ovet production.

Unfilled orders decreased 7r0?,f,,ro00 feet from the previous week. New export business received during the'week increased 4rtOTrOOO feet. New domestic cargo orders wete 916751000 feet under, and new rail businees decreased 5981000 feet, while the local trade increased 2rrltril(/J feet, as compared with the previous weekts business.

These 2l7 mills reported the following for the week: Production, 5917351156 feet; Shipments, 8Q915r831 feet; Orders, 74'725,715 feet.

Details of orders and shipments as reported by these mills follow: Orders-Rail, 2211131693 feet; Domestic Catgo, 25r660129l feet; Export, 18,469,5r, feet; Local, 8A9lrl59 feet. Shipments-Rail, 22,792,457 feet; Domestic C*go, t8r454957 feet; Export,llrl77r25E feet; Local, 8r49lrl59 f*t.

Inventories, as reported by 144 mills, decreasd 1614771000 feet from the week ending Septembet 24, and are 25.8 per cent less than at this time last /ear. * *

Unsold stoc&s on the public docks at San Pedro contintre low, and on October 12 totaled 2r060r(X)0 feet. Cargo arrivals at San Pedro for the week ended October 8 amounted to 9,12E,00O feet, including t2 cargoes of Fir totaling 7rr58,OOO feet and 4 cacgoes of Redwood with 1,770,fi[ feet. On October 8, 53 lumber vessels were operating in the California servicel 55 vessels were laid up.

Lumbet receipts at San Pedro showed a gain for the month of Septernber aggregating 27196010/110 feet, as compared with 26rt57r000 feet in the same month last year, and 27r473rtl0/J feet in August, 1932.

Srl Fnncirco OGco zDl Santa Mriu Bldr. fu Mrrlct Strrrt Tdcoho. D(hrtilr. at Southcrn OEco 2nd Nadoal Brlt Bldt. Hqrcton, Tena

Fir mill prices are firm and the mills report heavy order files. Shinglee and all items of Fir clears are Ecarce due to a shortage in both clear Fir and Cedar logs. Recent forest fires in the Columbia River district have caused a serious log shortage in that territory. tt rY* market is strong.

New business booked at the lumber mills dudng the week ended Octobet t, 1932, was not so large as dudng any of the fotrr preceding weeks, falling 7 per'cent below the average of those weeks, according to rq)orts to t{re National Lumber Manufacturers Association from regional associetions covering the operations of 615 leading softwood and hardwood millc. These orde$ for the week ended October I totaled l69rit65r000 feet and were 44 pet cent above producion, compared with corresponding percentage for the previous week of 54 per cent; with 63 per cent for the week ended Sqltember 17, and 26 per cent for dre 39 weeks of the year to dater fdentical mill reports indicate for t{re week only one per cent decline in orders received as compared with the coresponding week bf 1931 and 26 per cent decline in production.

Production during the week ended Octobet I was llTrTUr000 feet. This was 24 pet cent of capacity as compared with 23 per cent t{re previous week. New business wx 74.5 per cent of capacity, compared with 35 per cent the week before.

Unfilled orderc on October 1, as tepo,rted by both the Southern Pine and the Vestern Pine Association, for the first time tlris year, wete heavier *T "l the corresponding day Last yat.

The Southern Pine Association for t{re week ended Octobet 1 reported new business ftom 107 mills as 34r788r0fl0 feet, shipments'341404,000 feet, and production 21159,@O feet. Ordes were 60 per cent above production and I per cent above shipments. Shipments were 58 per cent above producion.

The Vestern Pine Association rqrorted new business for the week from 98 mills as 37'858'fi)O feet, shipments 39'804r(XX) feet, and production 2Er085r(XX) feet. Orders werc 35 pu cent above production and 5 per cent below shipments. Shipments were 42 pet cent above production.

1E6 hardwood mills reporting fot the same week give new business as 19r187r(X)0 feet, ot 160 per cent above production, and shipments 16'482'000 feet, on 124 per cent above production. Production was 71367$OO fet.